I have sledged once and it worked: Sachin

New Delhi, Feb 6: When it comes to on-field behaviour, Indian batting genius Sachin Tendulkar who is generally known for his immaculate temperament and poise, isn't quite Mr Goody Two Shoes.

Tendulkar has publicly admitted that he too has sledged, albeit just once, and that the move was part of team strategy. The Little Master needled Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath during the Champions Knock Out Trophy in 2000 in Kenya, by telling he would go after his bowling and the ploy worked.

"I have never sledged per se merely for the sake of sledging. I did that only once as a part of team strategy. This was at the Kenya Champions Trophy. We were playing Australia," Tendulkar recollects in the book 'SACH' penned by Gautam Bhattacharya.Tendulkar describes how he irked McGrath with a cheeky line.

"The match was played under overcast conditions. The wicket was also very damp. I had told Sourav before that I would do something to upset McGrath's rhythm. So, in the very first over, I stepped out to him. The first thing I said to him was 'Today I will hit you out of the ground.'"

In that match, Tendulkar carted McGrath for a couple of sixes, making 38 off 37 balls while the ace pacemen went wicket-less in the match, finishing with unimpressive figures of 0/61 in 9 overs. Sachin hence felt that his little underhand tactic had worked.

"He got really angry and started spraying the ball around. This was exactly what we wanted. As on that surface, he may have been very dangerous. We did win that match ultimately and I felt very happy. My sledging did work for the team."

Sachin says he was a little rattled by the first incident of sledging where he was at the receiving end.

"My own experience of sledging came very early on my first tour to Australia. I remember having blocked a delivery and the ball landed near my foot. I tried picking it up when Allan Border shouted from gully, 'Don't touch the ball.' So I stopped immediately."